Designed in a similar fashion to Tiger's successful Furby, Interactive E.T. is a fully-animated friend who interacts with his environment through a series of built-in sensors. Interactive E.T. can move his eyes and mouth, has a 400-word vocabulary and can communicate 1000 different phrases. He even has a heart light and a glowing finger.

``We are very enthusiastic about Interactive E.T.,'' said Cynthia Cleveland, president, Universal Studios Consumer Products Group. ``It has been almost 20 years since the movie premiered, and there is still a market and consumer demand for this popular and lovable extra-terrestrial.''

``In the past we have been very selective with the types of E.T. products introduced to the marketplace,'' said Amblin Executive, Brad Globe. ``However, Tiger is a natural partner for us, because, like E.T. did in the original film with Elliott, the Furby mimics and learns from its human friends.''

The toy features advanced artificial intelligence that allows him to adapt and change his behaviors. Interactive E.T. can even communicate with other Interactive E.T.'s, as well as Tiger's other products including Interactive Gizmo, Furby and Furby Babies via infrared transmissions.

``We believe in the success of our Interactive E.T. because both E.T. and Furby share the engaging and endearing qualities that appeal to children,'' said Roger Shiffman, president, Tiger Electronics. ``In addition, Furby and E.T. have recently been featured in British Telecom's advertising campaign. We anticipate this recent renewed awareness in ET will translate into excitement for Interactive E.T.''

Interactive E.T. will be available at mass-market and specialty stores nationwide beginning summer 2000 and will retail for $35.00. The target audience is children age 6 and up.

E.T. is the timeless story of a lost little visitor from another planet who is befriended and protected by a lonely boy. Together, they find a way to return the young alien home. The film, originally released in June 1982, earned $704 million in worldwide box office. It holds the record for Universal as its highest grossing domestic film and is one of the most successful licensing programs in the history of Universal Studios.

Tiger Electronics, Ltd., a division of Hasbro, Inc. leads the industry in technology-driven entertainment and lifestyle products for the whole family. Tiger's core brands, products and licensed properties include: Furby®, No Limits, E-Fortunes(TM), Hitclips, Yahoo!(TM), Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?(TM), Wheel of Fortune(TM), Jeopardy!(TM), Star Wars®, NASCAR®, WCW/NWO®, Winnie the Pooh® , Franklin the Turtle(TM) and many more.

Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com), a diversified entertainment company and worldwide leader in motion pictures, television, home and location based entertainment. Universal Studios is a unit of The Seagram Company Ltd. (NYSE: VO - news), a global entertainment and beverage company.

Contacts: Debra Jackman of Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, 818-777-3188, debbie.jackman@unistudios.com; or Carla Buranelli, cburanelli@cairnsny.com, or Lauren Winer of Cairns & Associates, 212-421-9770; or Lana Simon of Tiger Electronics, 847-913-8100, Lana@tigertoys.com.

SOURCE: Universal Studios Consumer Products Group

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